Archive for July, 2009

The Kid Is Not My Son


Posted by Contrarian on July 31st, 2009

I don’t know which is worse, that Michael Jackson had a one-night stand with a woman or that the lyrics to “Billie Jean” have now suddenly come into focus for me 25 years later:
Michael Jackson’s father insisted Thursday night that a Norwegian dancer is in fact the King of Pop’s love child.
“Yes, I knew he [...]

And I’m sure THIS will shut them up …


Posted by Matski on July 27th, 2009

The White House takes on the Birthers directly:
Attempting to put the issue to rest, once more, [White House Press Secretary Robert] Gibbs assured reporters: “The president was born in Honolulu, in the 50th state of the greatest country on the face of the earth…There are 10,000 more important issues for people in this country to [...]

Episode 396


Posted by Bruno on July 26th, 2009
 
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Health care reform 101, the so-called “birthers,” and finally, the F-22 goes down.
Links Mentioned: Longman on Health IT … Birthers gone mad … Health Care 101.

Plastic Bag Taxes


Posted by Bruno on July 26th, 2009

I have to sympathize with “dudeman” at CHS on the inanity of a plastic bag tax. To be clear, he’s talking about a fee that Madison Market in Seattle charges its customers, but it’s clearly related to the 20 cent fee that the Seattle City Council is proposing for all plastic bags.
The sad [...]

Calling BS on Van Dyk


Posted by Bruno on July 26th, 2009

This is a couple of weeks old, but it’s nice to see The New Republic call BS on local Seattle curmudgeon (and Crosscut contributor) Ted Van Dyk. Van Dyk uses is bona fides as having been a Democrat 40 years ago to slag on Dems at every opportunity. As TNR points out, it’s [...]

Health IT and Open Source


Posted by Bruno on July 26th, 2009

Phillip Longman’s article in the Washington Monthly on the promise and perils of health IT is worth a read. It’s shocking how few medical records are electronic in the year 2009 (less than 2%, I believe).
Longman, though, is a bit too bullish on VistA, the open-source EMR software used by the Veterans’ [...]

Bye-bye, F-22


Posted by Bruno on July 23rd, 2009

The bloated, over-budget plane that the Air Force doesn’t even want is finally getting de-funded. For a while, it looked like congress was going to build them anyway, but now even pork-meister Jack Murtha has given up the fight.
This is a huge deal. Yes, the F-22 was on its last legs, [...]

Office of the External Ombudsman


Posted by Apocalypse Tom on July 21st, 2009

Confidential to the Seattle Times: I think your headline writer misspelled “Disorganized Rabble.” Keep up the fight, though.

Prepare to be Afraid


Posted by Matski on July 21st, 2009

Okay, so maybe I’m the last one to hear about this (and it wouldn’t be the first time), but I caught some of Rachel Maddow’s show last night and found myself terrified by a video of a “birther” hijacking a GOP town hall meeting.  (Not the same video, ’cause I’m lazy, but here’s an earlier [...]

How Not To Sell Healthcare


Posted by Contrarian on July 20th, 2009

First rule — keep baby-killing philosopher/utilitarian ethicist/professor Peter Singer way the hell away from “rationing” arguments. You’d think the Republicans were behind this one . . .


Now Playing: Episode 422: Biden in Israel, Health Care, David Brooks

 
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David Brooks on Obama.

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